Libyan Consulate Deaths

On September 11, 2012 while the President observed a White House moment of silence, attended a memorial service at the Pentagon, visited Arlington National Cemetery and met privately with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Romney was campaigning in Reno, Nevada. Egyptians scaled the walls of our Embassy, tore down and shredded our flag and replaced it with a black flag that read – There’s no God but Allah. Later, in darkness 20 armed militants attacked the Libyan Consulate killing the US Ambassador (first since 1979 and the sixth in US history) and 3 staff; 3 Americans were wounded. There were 2 former Navy Seals, no Marines, at the Consulate and Libyan security couldn’t protect our people from the fire that was set. The cause of the attack is said to be the movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ made by a California realtor and put on YouTube (shown only once in Hollywood) and promoted by Florida Pastor Terry Jones who burned a Quran in 2010. The movie was shown by an Egyptian cleric on his July 21 talk show and was never shown again; on September 17 he said he told people to defend their faith, was shocked by the fury sparked by the movie; never intended to incite violence-deplores it and said he has no regrets. Upon learning of the movie the US Egyptian Embassy issued an apology but no warning went out to other embassies in the region.

On September 12 Jones said the movie was not designed to attack Muslims but to show the destructive ideology of Islam. Romney said it is “disgraceful the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions but to sympathize with those who conducted the attack…An apology for America’s values is never the right course.” When it’s pointed out that the film apology came out of the Egyptian Embassy before the attacks Romney said “It’s never too early for the US government to condemn attacks on Americans and to defend our values. American leadership is necessary to ensure that events in the region don’t spin out of control.” Even though Romney’s original criticism was assailed by some Republicans for bad tone and timing, Romney stood by them saying – if he sees a point to attack he will (the facts didn’t matter). In an interview with CBS the President said “Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later and as President one of the things I’ve learned is you can’t do that”